"Speech"

Thought

"Zanpakuto Speech"

Scene Change (Centered)

Naruto Chuuten: Rising Into The Heavens

By: Draco Kamikaze

Naruto panted as he slowly began to run through the Zanjutsu kata again. He had been practicing all day, and was slowly beginning to feel the pain that he'd pushed out of his mind over an hour before. Although he was known to many as the 'Stamina Freak', along with his many other titles, there was a certain point where even he began to get tired and sore. And after training for nearly eight hours straight, every day, for the last year, most other people wouldn't be able to stand, let alone finish one last kata for the day.

Naruto continued to focus as he continued through the movements, feeling the parts of the technique that were wrong and correcting them as he went. He'd been trying to get it as exact as possible for the past week, but as it turned out, it was harder than many people made it look. He had more ground to cover than any other member in the Special Forces as he hadn't been raised and trained so that he could only be in the Special Forces. As such, he had to make sure that he did not fall behind on anything that they had to know. If they could take him down even once during their spars, then all this training was for nothing. Of course, he might not have the experience that others had…but he was going to cover whatever lost ground he needed to.

He mentally grimaced as he slid into his last stance. He had been surprised to have made it into the Special Forces, considering the last person he'd fought in the exam had been his captain. He didn't really put it together till he saw how she wore her hair when she had him report in the next day. He almost made the stupid comment about how familiar she looked until he realized that no one else in the Seireitei or Rukongai wore their hair like that. He then proceeded to apologize to her for not figuring it out before as he mentally committed seppuku (Samurai suicide) over and over again. He had never felt so stupid.

As he thought of his captain, he scratched the back of his head as he tried to figure her out. She wasn't really a bad person, but she was tough as nails, and would rip a person's head off for sneezing at the wrong moment. Most of the time, he wasn't sure whether to watch in awe at her skill, or cower in fear from her power. She was strict to a point, and wanted to make sure that no one took their skills for granted. If they didn't train hard enough, than most of the Hollows would begin to have an edge on them. And with her prowling around, most of the people made sure that they were on task. Of course, that didn't mean that he followed that rule to a point; just enough that she wouldn't notice when he took off for private training.

Naruto shook his head as he slipped into another Zanjutsu stance. So far, he had quite enjoyed being in the Second Division, but being around Soi Fon all the time could get quite tiring. She was just so, cold, heartless, evil…etcetera. She seemed to look for ways to make things bigger than they were. She even tried to make sure that he knew the proper way to respect his superior officers. This was due to the 'disrespect' he showed when Ukitake came by to talk with Soi Fon for a moment. All he had said was "Hey Ukitake-san" and she'd gone off on a two hour tangent about how rude, disrespectful and dishonorable it was to say something like that.

He snorted. Me? Well mannered? What a joke.

He slowly spun around, slicing an imaginary enemy. He had to admit, Soi Fon and anything else aside, the training that he managed to get in was definitely helping. He still needed more training to get close to a forth seat's skill, but his power was making up for it. He just…needed to get out more. He needed to do more.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he hacked away at another imaginary enemy. Of all the people in the Special Forces, he was the only one who had yet to go out on a single mission; and even worse, got yelled at whenever he had tried to ask for one. It was frustrating how people would tell him how amazing it was in the heat of battle, how everything was faster or slower than it should be, and he could not understand whatever they were talking about. Whenever he asked Soi Fon in the first month or so, she would 'politely' say that he wasn't ready yet; that he wasn't strong enough, fast enough, or smart enough to do what needed to be done on those kinds of missions. He'd stopped asking after a while, figuring she would give him one if he waited patiently. That was a year ago; a whole year ago. He grimaced as he began to finish his technique, feeling the sweat roll of his face as he slowly stood up.

As he stood up, he slowly sheathed his sword, listening to the blade scrap against the scabbard. It helped him relax as he thought over his strengths and weaknesses.

He was one of the fastest members that Second Division had, using only Hoho during the many spars that he'd participated in. If he'd used Shunpo all the time, he was sure he could give most of the second seated officers a run for their money should they ever decide to chase him; maybe even a few of the slower captains should it come to that. His fighting style consisted of blunt, powerful strikes that were meant to quickly incapacitate his enemies with a single blow, while being fast enough that he could quickly move to another enemy should he be fighting multiple enemies. He'd proved his ability multiple times during quick sparing matches in the dojo. He had a perfect record, pushing himself as high up in the rankings that he could; meaning that for the people who attended and kept a record of the fights, he was at the very top with no loses. He had also managed to work out some of the kinks in his Kido techniques so that they could be formed faster than they could before. There was a lot of power that he had yet to tap into, but he was sure that he could solve that problem later. Sasuke expressed the same problem whenever they got the chance to train together and swap theories. They were working over how to unlock the potential energy that the Kido had, but couldn't figure out what they were missing. All in all, he was as well rounded as any other high seated officer should be.

And despite the amount of strength he'd shown, she was still holding him back.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself as he thought over the reasons why Soi Fon would keep him behind the rest of the division. Am I not strong enough? I know that I could be faster, but I'm more of a power type of person than a speed type. No…that's not it. If they were faster, I'd just have to be faster at beating them. I'm strong enough to handle whatever comes my way, so I could hold my own against other people, and harder Hollows. Is it because I'm not respectful? She'd have to suck it up, 'cause I'm not going to change that anyways. But…there must be something I'm missing.

As he wallowed in his thoughts, he felt his zanpakuto spirit suddenly stir. He waited patiently for him to speak, wanting his opinion on the problem he was having. "Kiroi-chan, you're thinking too much. It's not like you. Where's the act first, think later attitude you used to have before? I miss him, he was funny. Watching him run into problems that were way over his head…and then managing to somehow find away out; it was a good time, no?"

I know…but there are times when I need to think things through before I act, believe it or not. And trust me, I don't believe it. There is no way that someone could actually think before they act; it can't be physically possible.

"I'll never believe it either. You're suddenly becoming…educated! You know what; I know what you need to do. You need to pull a prank on someone…or at the very least mess with their heads. You've been too busy training to think about anything else; you've got to show people that you're not gone. Where is the Prankster King? Where's the Most Unpredictable Shinigami? WHERE DID YOU GO?!!!"

Uh…well that…okay. But who should I prank? There aren't many people who deserve it right now. My information system is completely gone, so I don't know who's been doing what, and Hanataro has been holding his own against Eleventh Division guys with Ikkaku and Yumichika's help. Plus, I don't really have anything in mind.

"You were kidding, right? I've got a prime target for you: Soi Fon. She's the perfect target."

What!? Why would I do something like that? She's my captain!

"Because, you are a fun loving kid who needs to let loose on whoever get in your way. She's a strict, cold person who wouldn't have fun unless it bit her in the –"

Alright, alright! I get it, I'll do it. But you know it goes against my morals!

"Alright! Let's get this party...wait…you have morals?"

……shut up Gama-san.

Naruto grimaced as he began to walk back to his division, his fingers drumming on the hilt of his sword as he walked. He had no idea of what he was going to do, but he was pretty sure that it was going to be as spontaneous; like he was back in the academy. He'd probably think of something really stupid as soon as he saw her, but at least it could bring him back to his normal, hyper, annoying self. It was the real him that hadn't been seen by the Second Division. They had been lucky…till now.

As he walked along, he thought of different ways of bringing her out of her shell so she'd play along with whatever he did. After all, it wouldn't be fun if she didn't chase him for what he did. She probably wouldn't respond well if he set off fireworks in her room; experience had proved that. He'd done it previously with Kyouraku, but the guy had just laughed it off since none of them had actually hit him. Nanao on the other hand…was another story. The woman had tried to flatten him with her book for the next month till he'd apologized at least a hundred times for nearly burning her hair. It was an honest mistake; anyone could have done the same thing.

He scratched his head, thinking hard about what he should do. He'd done the 'change clothes for weird stuff' trick, the 'multicolored people' trick, and even the 'glue in front of the door' trick so many times that he could do them blindfolded and backwards. He needed something new, something that would catch her off guard. He needed something that was so ridiculous that she would have to have fun to get back at him. He needed something…that a kid would do.

He suddenly grinned as he quickened his pace, ignoring the fading throb of his muscles as he began to run back to the division. He knew for a fact that she wouldn't see this coming; who could see something like this coming? No one.

As he approached the division, he slowed his pace. He quickly controlled his breathing to make sure that nothing would seem out of the ordinary as he walked towards the training grounds that Soi Fon would normally go to for private training. It was against the rules to interrupt her training session, but rules were made to be broken. A feral grin crossed his face as he jumped into the surrounding forest, rushing through towards the area Soi Fon should have been at.

Ah, this will get the old gears working again. This should be quite fun…especially her reaction! Kukuku, the Prankster King returns!

Soi Fon's Training Ground

Soi Fon panted heavily as she attempted to perform her technique again. After experimenting with her Shikai, she'd come up with the idea of forming Kido around her fists in conjunction with Hakuda to create a powerful new style. However, it was something that was a lot harder to control than she thought it would be. She was a captain after all; simple things like this should not be as hard as it was. Other captains probably wouldn't think of it, seeing as they wouldn't need it as badly as she would. If it were Yoruichi trying to do it…

She growled as she attempted to perform the technique again, pushing nearly the rest of her remaining reiatsu into the technique. She pushed her reiatsu as hard as she could, forming it just as she thought it should be formed, and struck out at a nearby target. There was a small crater where she'd hit, but she didn't feel the kind power behind it that she'd expected it to have. It was too weak; pitiful even. It wouldn't be enough to take her down should they meet.

As she panted from the decrease in reiatsu she paused, feeling a presence slowly making its way towards her. She stood straight, trying to figure out who it was. They were coming at a reasonable pace, so it wasn't anyone bringing something important. The reiatsu was familiar, so it was probably someone from her division. She looked in the direction of the reiatsu and waited, while trying to think of who would dare to bother her during her private training session. She thought she'd made it very clear that she was only to be disturbed in case of an emergence only.

After a couple of moments, the person landed just a few meters away in a feral crouch. She blinked in surprise as she noticed the man's blond hair waving about in the wind. When he finally glanced up, she finally recognized him. "Uzumaki-san, what do you think you are doing?"

Naruto blinked, looking somewhat confused. "I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to see how my captain was doing. Is there something wrong with that?"

Soi Fon scowled. "Why? You have no reason to approach me unless I call you. Are you really that stupid?"

Naruto stood up, slowly walking over to her with a serious look on his face. "I wanted to ask you something."

Soi Fon glanced at him curiously. He wants to ask me something? "What could you possibly want to ask me?" She asked, voicing her thoughts as he continued to come forward.

By then, Naruto had closed the gap between the two of them, making her somewhat uncomfortable as he leaned in closer. After a couple of seconds, he finally spoke. "Do you think you can catch me?"

Soi Fon blinked. She hadn't expected something as strange as that. "What –?"

Naruto suddenly tapped her head, a grin across his face. "Tag, you're it!"

As quickly as he'd arrived, Naruto suddenly disappeared into the forest. Soi Fon blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened. She glanced to where Naruto had run off, and tried to think about what she should do. Should I go along with this? Or should I just let him run off.

As she continued to think about this, she heard her zanpakuto spirit speak up. "You do realize that he just challenged you, right? Are you going to let him get away as the victor? To let him brag that he out ran you? He acts just like Yoruichi would if she had found you like this…

After a moment, she came to a decision, leaping after him.

Naruto grinned as he felt Soi Fon's reiatsu quickly speeding after him. "So, you're going to come along? Well I guess I'd better speed things up." He quickly rushed forward, pushing more speed into his movements.

Soi Fon was somewhat surprised when she felt Naruto's reiatsu suddenly begin to pull away from her. Gritting her teeth, she went forward as fast as she could without using Shunpo. There was no reason for her to overtake someone who couldn't use Shunpo as easily as she could. Plus, there was still the fact that her imperfect technique had strained her muscles, and she was still quite sore. It would take her a while to get back to even half of her full strength. And at the speed he was going, she was going to need everything she could use.

Naruto closed his eyes, focusing on his own reiatsu. He began to suppress his reiatsu, slowly hiding his presence from anyone around himself. It was much harder to do than most people would believe, as one had to have the focus to do so, and to completely hide his reiatsu would be much harder than for anyone else due to his increasingly large supply of reiatsu. That and he had the attention span of a child which screwed up his technique a lot of the time. But after much practice he'd finally been able to do so, creating chaos wherever he went.

After a few more moments, he landed in the middle of a large clearing. Grinning widely, he dashed across the field.

Soi Fon had finally caught up to Naruto, watching him run across a large field. She grimaced as she watched him run off. She could see him right there, right in front of her; yet she couldn't feel his reiatsu. It was confusing to say the least. Growling, she too made her way across the field.

Suddenly, a large portion of the ground began to collapse on itself, becoming a large sand trap. Soi Fon's eyes widened as she began to sink into the ground, quickly unable to either escape or move. Growling, she struggled against the sand as she became buried up too her mid chest with only one hand above the ground.

Closing her eyes, she focused her reiatsu to her hands, trying to perform the technique that she'd been practicing earlier. However, before she could finish focusing the reiatsu, a small amount of sand suddenly shot up and enveloped her hand, dragging it quickly under the ground. As she struggled, she heard several deep voices suddenly began to speak from a dark portion of the clearing.

"Well, well. Look what we've got here!"

"I think it's a pretty little thing, but does it taste good?"

"Why don't we find out?"

Soi Fon's eyes widened as she saw three Hollows suddenly slink out of the forest, one of them holding a strange string in its hands. They had to be at least B ranked Hollows, seeing as they had been able to conceal their presence from her. Of course she'd been so focused on Naruto and his hidden reiatsu; she didn't really have time to look for other possible enemies. She cursed her thoughtlessness, as she continued to struggle to get out. She was still weak from training, and wasn't able to fight against even this simple trap.

However, despite being trapped, she didn't plan on taking this lying down. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're catching our next meal. We almost caught the guy from before, but Crush noticed another source of food and had us wait." The middle Hollow said, jabbing his thumb towards the Hollow on its right. "I would've caught him anyway, but Sandpit didn't want to lose a chance at such a high leveled dinner. Man, you smell delicious!"

Sandpit growled, his shark-like appearance making it somewhat strange to hear. Soi Fon mentally shuddered as it spoke. "The first wouldn't have made us as powerful as this one will. Don't worry; we'll catch the boy later. That's after we eat this one, understand Bone Breaker?"

Bone Breaker nodded. "You're right…as usual. Don't worry; there'll be no stopping us after this meal!"

Crush smacked Bone Breaker on his shoulder. "Enough talking! Let's eat!"

Soi Fon widened her eyes, surprised as they began to come towards her. As they came at her, she felt herself suddenly become calm. She wasn't sure what it was, but she suddenly felt resigned to her fate. I wasn't ready. Yoruichi-sama…I wasn't strong enough to get out of this. And unlike the other times, you won't be there to save me.

She struggled against the sand, still unable to move. She was doing everything that she could to break free, but nothing seemed to be working. She grimaced as they closed in on her, closing her eyes as she waited for them to eat her. Hopefully, the part that she was aware of wouldn't last very long; and she'd be able to pass over without feeling a thing.

There was a thud as she waited for them to come. Not sure of what had happened, she kept her eyes closed. After a moment, she finally glanced up in confusion. She widened her eyes in surprise at what she saw.

Naruto was standing over her, holding the three Hollows back with his bare hands. She blinked as he suddenly seemed to glow for a brief second as he quietly whispered. "Hado 1: Sho (Thrust)."

The three Hollows slid back to the line of trees, confused by this sudden confrontation. As they regained their composure, they glared angrily at Naruto. Naruto glared back, slowly moving in front of Soi Fon to act as a human shield. After a couple of seconds, Crush growled. "You little brat! Get out of our way."

Bone Crusher smacked him. "Fool! He may seem weak, but this is the one from before! Plus, he'd a weak Hado against us with a powerful result. Perhaps we will gain even more power from this meal than from the girl!"

Naruto sighed as he listened to their conversation. "They don't really get it, do they Taicho?" Soi Fon glanced up in confusion as Naruto continued. "They don't get that they're fighting one of the elite members of the Second Division, and that their time has come. I will deal with them myself."

"Naruto?" Soifon asked, trying to understand what was going on. Gone was the childish boy that she had been chasing earlier. In his place was a strange warrior, who stood with pride, and power. For a moment, her mind flashed to Yoruichi. She shook her head, trying to not think about her.

"I'm sorry Soifon-san. I didn't mean to get us into trouble." Naruto said, quickly drawing his sword. As he held the blade to his side, he glanced back to the Hollows with a determined grin. "Don't worry…I'll take care of them quickly and efficiently."

As he spoke, he rushed towards the Hollows. As he approached, Crush and Bone Breaker scattered, leaving Sandpit all alone to fend for himself. He didn't stand a chance as Naruto quickly cut him perfectly in half, walking calmly as Sandpit disintegrated. Naruto glanced towards the other two Hollows as Crush glared at Naruto. "You…"

"Next." Naruto said, focusing on Crush. In a blur, he launched himself at him. Unlike Sandpit, Crush was more prepared for the oncoming strike, as was able to use his arm to block the blow. Naruto grimaced as he pushed harder, trying to cut through its arm.

As he tried to do this, Bone Breaker charged towards the two of them. From what Soi Fon could tell, he didn't care whether or not his partner was killed by this; as long as he got Naruto he'd be fine. It was usually like that with all Hollows; the strongest survived by getting stronger from others power.

At the last second, Naruto realized what was happening and tried to move away. He twisted to the side, getting a glancing blow to the shoulder as he slid away from the two Hollows. He growled as he grabbed his shoulder, trying to ignore the pain as he watched his two opponents. He slowly straightened up as they two Hollows glanced at each other.

Bone Breaker chuckled. "He's not very fast, is he Crush?"

Crush shook its head. "I don't know, he got Sandpit. He might be –"

"Don't be stupid." Bone Breaker growled, hitting Crush on his head. "The only reason he got Sandpit was because he was lucky, and Sandpit is weak. Now could we please stop this and –"

"Hado 63: Raikoho (Thunder Bolt Cannon)!"

The Hollows quickly jumped out of the way as a large bolt of lightning like reiatsu struck at them. As Bone Breaker came to a stop, Naruto charged him. "Not good enough brat!" He yelled as he attempted to smash Naruto.

Naruto waited till the last second before dodging within Bone Breakers guard. Within his guard, he quickly stabbed forward, piercing its mask. It gasped, trying to do something as it began to disintegrate.

Crush glared at Naruto. "What are you?"

Naruto grinned, his eyes glowing darkly as he spoke. "Your worst nightmare."

Soi Fon shuddered. It was like she was watching Zaraki whenever he battled; only Zaraki's grin wasn't the kind held only the confidence of destroying anyone in his way. He at least looked like he was having fun while he fought. Naruto's looked held no emotion at all, like someone who'd lost it all with nothing but their will pushing them on. And the will to destroy and eradicate everything, it was something so powerful and foreign that she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the old Naruto.

Crush chuckled. "You think you're that powerful? I've faced off against much stronger shinigami than you! That pathetic Hado you used was nothing compared to some of the other stuff I've seen. I should know; I've killed at least twenty-three of your little friends. Plus, there had to have been at least three seated officers amongst them. You can't win."

The upper portion of Naruto's face was shadowed as he began to speak. "Hai, I'm not as strong as other people might have been. But then…I'm not going all out just yet."

As he spoke, his reiatsu began to leak out. Crush watched in amazement as the reiatsu began to form around him, violently whipping around as Naruto glared at him, crushing him under the sudden intensity that his eyes held. As his power continued to grow, Naruto charged forward. Crush raised his arm to block the blow, expecting the same result as the first time Naruto had attacked him. However, as Naruto appeared on his shoulder, Crush felt his arm suddenly fall away from him.

He looked down in shock and fear as he jumped back, trying to put some distance between himself and Naruto. He panted heavily as he tried to think of what he could do. As he realized the only real option was to run away, Naruto spoke again. "Have you ever seen the blade of a crimson moon?"

Crush looked at Naruto curiously. "No."

Naruto held his sword parallel to the ground. "Then you've been luck up until now."

Soi Fon blinked. "What are you…?"

Reiatsu suddenly began to whirl around Naruto as he calmly muttered the name of his attack. "Akatsuki Senpuu (Red Moon Whirlwind)."

As he spoke, Crush began to back up. He'd never felt this kind of power before, and he needed to get a way. Before he could even think about it, he saw a flash of red reflecting of Naruto's blade. It shielded its eyes, trying to avoid the strange glare he was getting. As it did so, it felt a rush of air by the side of its face. Turning around, it saw Naruto standing calmly behind it, his sword held lazily at his side. As Crush wondered what had happened, it split in half and disintegrated.

Soi Fon blinked. He wasn't really that strong; there were plenty other people in the Seireitei who could take him down. However, the fact that he'd taken three B ranked Hollows by himself was still an accomplishment, despite the fact that they weren't the strongest B ranked Hollows that were out there. Even when she had taken out B ranked Hollows, she had Yoruichi with her to give her back up should she get caught.

Naruto slowly walked over, his eyes closed as he sheathed his sword. As he came within a few feet of her, he stopped. He slowly opened his eyes, sighing quietly as he knelt down. "Gomen nasai Taicho (Please forgive me captain)."

Soi Fon blinked. Was he speaking formally? "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong; you simply did your duty as a member of Second Division."

Naruto nodded. "I know. But…if I hadn't goaded you into following me, you wouldn't have gotten caught, and I wouldn't have had to save you."

Soi Fon scowled, reminded of her situation. "How about we say I owe you one, and you get me out of here?"

Naruto blinked, his normal self suddenly coming back. "Uh…okay?"

After a couple of moments, Naruto had dug her out, and they were on their way back to the Second Division. They walked in silence, neither of them wanting to talk to the other.

As they approached Soi Fon's training grounds, Naruto began to notice random craters. "Uh, Soi-san? Why does the ground look like Swiss cheese?"

Soi Fon grimaced, glancing away as she growled. "Show me some respect! I'm a captain after all!"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not sure I could say something like that. Taicho sounds way too formal, and I've never been good with formal things." He glanced towards her. "But that's beside the point. You're avoiding my question."

Soi Fon sighed. "I've been working on a new technique. It's supposed to be a combination of Kido and Hakuda, but I haven't even brushed the surface of its true potential." Soi Fon glanced at Naruto. "Speaking of Kido, why didn't you use the incantations for the Hado you used back there? You obviously haven't grasped the full power behind it, and yet you still attempted to perform it despite how weak it was."

Naruto glared down at her. "Who are you calling weak?"

Soi Fon sighed. "You're stubborn. Here, let me show you." As Naruto began to protest, Soi Fon turned away, leveling her arm as she shouted. "Ye Lord! Mask of and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hado 31: Shakkaho (Crimson Flame Cannon)!"

Naruto's mouth dropped as he watched the giant ball of flame shoot across the training field, obliterating the target on the other side of the field. He had never seen Hado that powerful; much less perform the technique to that extent himself.

Soi Fon smirked. Something like that should have put him in his place. "And that is how you correctly perform a…"

She stopped herself as she looked up at Naruto's face. He had a small amount of drool coming from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were gleaming with a stupid grin going from ear to ear as he slightly bounced up and down. "Teach me! Teach me!"

"Uh…" Soi Fon suddenly felt very confused. She'd done this a few other times when people had shown her disrespect because of how she got the position of captain, and they would usually begin to back away from her. It helped keep her distant from others so that she could remain focused for when she and Yoruichi fought.

But this boy wasn't doing that. In fact, he was starting to come forward. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto stopped bouncing, his grin still plastered to his face. "I want to know how to do that! If I can use that technique without the incantation, then there's not telling how powerful I could eventually become!" Naruto suddenly became serious. "If you help teach me how to do that and anything else…I'll call you Taicho."

Soi Fon rubbed her chin thoughtfully. While it was obviously something that she had never done before, she was having a hard time saying no. After all, despite the fact that training with him, under any circumstance, wasn't something that she'd ever want to do, she might be willing to if it meant that he would show a certain amount of respect. "Alright, we'll see what we can do."

Naruto punched his fist into the air. "Thanks Taicho-sensei!"

Soi Fon palmed her face as Naruto began to jump around happily. "This might be more troublesome than I thought."

Captain's Room

Soi Fon closed the door behind herself as she entered her room. She was glad that Naruto was at the very least showing some respect, but now he wouldn't stop calling her 'Taicho-sensei'. It almost wasn't worth it anymore, and he'd just started saying it today. She rubbed her shoulders as she slowly sank down into a meditative position. She needed a moment or two to think things over; a moment of peace, and quiet.

She couldn't believe that she'd lost to those Hollows. Granted, she'd wasted a lot of energy when she'd been attempting to perform her new technique, but she should have made sure that she had more than enough for a formal battle should it ever come down to that. She had let her guard down when Naruto had come by, and she had suffered the consequences.

Speaking of Naruto, she was troubled by the fact that he wasn't leaving her thoughts. The 'Naruto' that had fought the three Hollows couldn't have been the same annoying one that everyone knew so well, right? He'd been far too serious, and focused to possibly be the same thick skulled person that she'd seen before. But then, she'd never seen him in action against Hollows before, so she couldn't know whether or not he was like that. After a moment, she figured that there was only one thing she could do.

Suddenly, there was a heavy knock at the door. "Come in."

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Marechiyo walk in. He knew good and well not to disturb her while she was meditating, and yet here he was. He bowed to her, a serious look etched on his face. "Taicho."

"What do you want?" Soi Fon asked, glaring at him.

He shuffled nervously. "Taicho, you gave me the job of doing the paperwork for the people in Special Forces due to the fact that you don't want Hitsugaya-taicho to know all that goes on in our division. During the time I was looking through them, I noticed that there was one name that didn't show up even once. I even double checked with all the different sections to make sure that I wasn't mistaken."

Soi Fon raised an eyebrow. She was certain that she'd sent everyone on a mission at least once; who could she have…

"It was Uzumaki Naruto, Taicho." Marechiyo said, filling in the name that she'd obviously missed. He gave her a look that was almost reproving. "I don't understand why you haven't sent him on even one mission throughout the past year that he's been here. I would have thought that you would have, at the very least, sent him on one mission. He's a good recruit if there ever was one."

Soi Fon held up her hand, cutting him off. "I understand, but I do have my reasons."

Marechiyo crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

Soi Fon sighed. "You may not know this, but he is in my personal guard. I haven't gone out on any missions this year due to the fact that there haven't been any big Hollows that would require my attention. As such, if he has been overlooked for many different missions that he could have gone on, it's not my fault. Also, I'm not sure how well he'd be accepted when he goes on a mission."

Marechiyo shook his head. "I don't think that would be a problem. I've seen how he interacts with the people from our division. If you had said that during the first few months, I probably would have laughed at you. But now, he's beaten almost everyone who's challenged him to a spar, as well as out run many of our fastest people. I think he's ready."

Soi Fon glared at him. "Are you the one who decides whose ready or not? Are you the one who gives out orders because I haven't?"

Marechiyo gulped. "No Taicho, but I am your vice captain. And as much as you would love to get rid of me for saying this, you know that I'm right."

Soi Fon closed her eyes, thinking it over. He had the qualities that they needed, and he could certainly handle himself. She sighed. "You do whatever you want. Just make sure that if you decide to send him out, you continue to do so. If he isn't sent on missions, it will be your fault. Understand?"

Marechiyo nodded. "Hai Taicho."

As he turned to leave, a thought occurred to Soi Fon. She quickly stopped him as he stood in the doorway. "Why exactly are you so interested in Uzumaki?"

Marechiyo glanced back at her. "He isn't from a prestigious clan, yet he managed to get into Special Forces. Normally, something like that would be both unheard of, as well as impossible. I simply don't want to waste future talent." After a couple of seconds, he added with a smile, "Plus, he's a really nice guy when you get to know him. A little slow, but nice."

Soi Fon raised an eyebrow. "When have you gotten to know him?"

Marechiyo grinned. "We go to the karaoke bar on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He is one of the funniest guys there, and he's a real hit with the girls. He's trying to help me get a girlfriend. Uh…it's a work in progress, but I'm getting better."

"…we have a karaoke bar?" Soi Fon asked, trying to figure out how she'd missed something as strange as that in the Seireitei.

Marechiyo shrugged. "I've only asked you a million times if you want to come. But you're always too busy. Anyways, I'll go tell Naruto what his first assignment is. Ja ne!"

Soi Fon looked on expressionlessly after Marechiyo after he closed the door. She rubbed the back of her head as she sighed. "I might just have to go and check that place out sometime…if I ever find the time."

Thirteenth Division

Sasuke quietly meditated as he listened to the world around him. It was amazing what he could hear when he drowned out everything else. It was so peaceful, so quiet, so…

"Here's the rest of the paperwork Sasuke-san!" A messenger said, dropping a load of papers next to him. The man's grin faltered when he saw how Sasuke was glaring at him. "Hey, don't kill me! I'm just the messenger, remember? Besides, am I really important enough to kill?"

"You're exactly the sort of person that no one would miss. And I know enough people that sending you to the fourth division wouldn't be that big of a deal either." Sasuke said, his glare not once leaving the man.

The man chuckled. "Do we have to go through this every time I drop off the paperwork? This old routine gets kind of dull when you've done it over a million times."

Sasuke shrugged. "You keep bringing it up. I'm not going to kill you, but you keep insinuating that I could possibly do so."

"Well, if looks could kill, I'd have already been dead a hundred times over."

"Hai, you would have been. Now do you mind? I've got work to do."

The messenger chuckled. "Alright. Have fun Sasuke-san!"

After the messenger left, Sasuke grimaced. "I hate paperwork."

"You sound like Naruto right now."

Sasuke glanced up. Kaien grinned as he looked at Sasuke. Sasuke glared at him. "You know, there are times when that is actually a good thing."

Kaien nodded. "I'm sure that he has his moments. However, saying that for paperwork isn't exactly the best thing, now is it?"

Sasuke sighed. "No, it isn't." He looked Kaien over, realization dawning on him. "You're not here just to say hello, are you?"

"Nope. I'm here to give you some good news and some bad news."

Sasuke blinked. "What news?"

Kaien grinned. "After consulting my sister, we have decided to 'adopt' you and Naruto into the Shiba clan. And trust me, it took a lot of talking to make her even consider this. This means that you would have the same rights, and privileges that the rest of us Shiba's have. Treated like royalty, given special privileges, and other cool stuff. Of course this decision would be entirely up to you whether you accepted it or not."

Sasuke sighed. "And what's the bad news?"

"People didn't want you in the clan, so we weren't allowed to take you in."

Sasuke stood up. "What? Why?"

Kaien shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly, I think that they don't want you in the Shiba clan because a few of the other clans are trying to get their hands on you, and for me to do something like that would bring up a lot of red tape that would be too much of a hassle to deal with."

Sasuke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, no one wanted Naruto?"

"He hasn't unlocked his Shikai yet, so they don't think he has enough potential for stuff like that. If he had unlocked his Shikai, he would probably be a little higher up in the rankings."

Sasuke nodded, staring off into the distance as he tried to think.

Naruto could be considered royalty now. He would be an adoptive member of the Shiba clan, and would have the full rights and privileges that they had. It was almost a reversal of fate. He was the one that everyone wanted, but Naruto was the one who was in a prestigious clan. He had the same things that at one point, Sasuke had been allowed to have. It had given him too much respect that he hadn't deserved, and he had paid dearly for it.

"Kaien, I want you to do something for me." Sasuke said, slowly thinking of what he was doing. Inside, he winced at what he was about to ask, his own selfish desires overcoming his common sense.

Kaien scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sure. What do you need?"

"Don't tell Naruto about this. At least…not yet."

Kaien looked shocked. "But why? He would be getting so much more opportunity, and would be allowed so much that he hasn't been allowed to have. Why would you…" Kaien stopped as he noticed Sasuke's look. "Oh. This is about your guy's past, isn't it?"

Sasuke nodded. "We don't talk about it much, but during the time I was alive, I was something like royalty where we were. I turned into a snobbish brat who believed he could get whatever he wanted just because he had a big name. Everyone in my clan believed that. That's why they got wiped out."

"They got wiped out? By whom?" Kaien asked, confused by what Sasuke was saying. He really didn't talk much about his past, and Kaien didn't ask. But for him to willingly tell him this was pretty big, and important.

"They were killed, by my brother." Sasuke noticed Kaien flinch in surprise as he continued. "I was the only survivor, and believed only in revenge and getting back at him for what he'd done. It brought pain and suffering to myself and to the people around me."

Kaien nodded. "So, you don't want Naruto to become someone who you were?" Kaien blinked as he thought it over. "But Sasuke, he wouldn't become you…at least, not the old you."

Sasuke nodded. "I know. But, there's also the fact that he's not mature enough to handle stuff like this right now. Maybe after he's achieved Shikai or something. Can we talk about it after that happens, please?"

Kaien grinned. "It's a deal."

Sasuke chuckled. "So, you'll help me with my paperwork?"

"Heck no! I've got my own stack to worry about. Do it yourself!"

As Kaien slammed the door behind himself, Sasuke chuckled. "Naruto has no idea how lucky he is. And while it might not make sense to Kaien…I just want to be the person to tell him. His reactions are always so fun to watch."

Konoha

"I don't understand. What is this thing?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it's stronger than anything I've ever seen! It's got to be at least as strong as the Kyuubi was!"

A giant human-serpentine creature, with two large arms protruding from either side of its body began to slide through the village. "Kukuku, run while you s~till can, Konoha shinobi. But once this~ of cat and mouse is~ over, I will feast the likes~ of which have never been seen!"

Normal citizens screamed as they were caught up in the serpent's path, crushed as it ignored them and slide over them. It cackled as it watched the people flee in .

"Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Multiple voices shouted as several balls of flame began to shoot toward the serpent.

The serpent screeched as the flame hit it. A few other people cheered, thinking that they had somehow been able to wound it. This enthusiasm was quickly crushed as the serpent grabbed one of the offending shinobi and sank its fangs into him. He screamed as the serpent slowly began to swallow him. Some shinobi began to flee from the sight, while others quickly charged forward.

"Our Hokage's coming!" One person shouted excitedly, pointing in the direction of Tsunade.

The serpent chuckled. "What do you know, fresh meat."

Tsunade glared at the serpent. "Haven't we had enough of you?"

The serpent looked at her curiously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tsunade's glare intensified. "Be gone Orochimaru! You aren't allowed in my village!"

She jumped forward, slamming her fist into the serpent's chest. It went sliding back, sliding through several houses. It gave Tsunade a whimsical look as it spoke. "I am not this~, Orochimaru. Orochimaru is~ dead."

Tsunade glanced at the serpent. "If you are not Orochimaru, than what are you?"

The serpent grinned. "I am Akogi (Greed)."

"Tsunade-sama!"

The warning came too late, as Akogi slammed its tail into her, completely crushing her under its weight. A few medics ran over to her, but they all knew that even the great Tsunade could not have survived something like that. As they reached her, they realized that Akogi was overshadowing them. The last thing they saw was the inside of Akogi's mouth before they were crushed by its fangs.

Akogi screeched to the skies as it laughed at their pain. "Yes~, run, cower before me! I will have the power to crush nations within my fingers. And then, I will become as a…no, I will become a God!"

Sakura, Lee, Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, and many other shinobi watched as Akogi crushed their village. After a moment, they split up, trying to get behind it so that they could attack it quickly. However, Akogi noticed their movements, and quickly lashed out with a blast of some strange energy the likes of which they'd never seen before. All that they could tell was that it wasn't chakra, and that it was much more powerful than anything that they'd ever seen before.

The blast destroyed several blocks as it tore through the village. Luckily, none of them were hurt as they continued their counterattack. Shino let out a swarm of bug, Sakura attempted to hit Akogi, Lee began to open the gates as he charged forward, Shikamaru's shadow began to bind it, and Hinata activated her Byakugan. As Hinata did her part, she noticed something was wrong. "Wait! Don't go near it!"

Too late, each of the people who had gone in for a full frontal assault were shocked to find that they moment their techniques hit it, the chakra behind it was gone, and their power was quickly fading. "Feed me little children. You tas~te s~o s~weet."

Hinata began to vomit at what she was seeing. With her Byakugan, she could see all of their energy being ripped out of them. Not absorbed, ripped out of them. It was tearing this chakra coils apart as their chakra went into the creature. Within moments, all of their chakra was gone, and they all collapsed. Hinata glanced up at Akogi, in her eyes as it glared down at her. "At least now…I'll be with Naruto-kun."

Akogi laughed. "I don't think so little . Your precious Naruto-kun is dead. You on the other hand, aren't just going to die. You're soul is going to 'die' as well."

Hinata glanced at Akogi, fear dancing in her eyes. "Then, what's going to happen to me?"

Akogi shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But I'll tell you this much, it won't be pretty. Of course, that's only for you; I'm going to enjoy this so much!"

Hinata gasped as Akogi suddenly crushed her beneath its hands. As she died, she had a look of on her face. Life was too cruel.

Akogi glanced around, hearing the screams of the people around it. "Ah, what a way to end the day."

As Akogi spoke, another figure suddenly appeared behind it. "Akogi, it's time to go. You've had your feast, now we must return to the Between."

Akogi growled. "I don't want to. I'm s~till not powerful enough. I want more!"

"Patience Akogi. If you attempt to continue with this, He will not be pleased. And then he will hunt you down and remove your power."

Akogi glared at the figure. They remained that way for a moment, before Akogi finally gave in with a sigh. "Fine, you win. But I swear, you're the most loyal momma's boy I've ever seen. I mean, you never seem to do what you want to do. You're so boring!"

"That is your opinion. It would be best if you kept it too yourself."

"Aw, did I hit a sore spot?"

The figure glanced up, power rolling off it as it spoke. "Desist. If you do not, I will take care of you personally."

Akogi grumbled. "You don't have too be such a pain. I was just joking."

"Enough of this. We do not wish to make him wait." As it spoke, a portal began to open. The figure glanced at Akogi. "Are you coming?"

Akogi nodded. "Yea, I'm coming. But you have got to stop being so touchy when I'm being sarcastic. Seriously, do you even have emotions?"

The figure said nothing as they both faded into the portal, leaving Konoha, the once great village, in ruins.

AN: Hey everyone! I've actually had this chapter done for a couple of days, but the site wasn't letting me log into my account. That, and I had to rewrite this thing at least five times before I got it semi-decent. Who would have thought that this little fight scene could have been so freaking difficult!

Now there's something I bet you didn't see coming. The Konoha scene is how I plan on keeping Naruto and Sasuke from returning to Konoha. However, I do plan on doing a little bit of messing around, so don't get too comfortable.

Anyways, there isn't much to say right now. So until my next chapter, ja ne!

Draco Kamikaze